Adam’s Cellar Notes
AN ITALIAN GRAPE VARIETY GROWING IN PEC? Adam Delorme
I recently hosted a tour with a group whose wine knowledge ranged from beginner to intermediate. One person in particular worked at an Italian restaurant in London Ontario. If I could remember the name, I would give them a plug (it’s not a restaurant chain.)
This person has been studying wine for about a year. Those visitors are fun because they’re sponges when it comes to wine knowledge and it also keeps me on my toes.
We went through some wines like Cab Franc and Pinot, but not the Gamay. They asked to try the ’08 Gamay in particular so I obliged. They commented that it reminded them of Sangiovese, how right they are! It is like Sangiovese. Light to medium bodied with bright cherry and spice with earthy undertones. Like the Italian varietal, it is extremely versatile with food. It has beautiful acidity to stand up to Momma’s pasta or even meats that your neighbor just cured. It can also be enjoyed at lunch in a bistro glass, room temperature or slightly chilled.
So thinking back, Gamay is similar to Sangiovese, the pride of Tuscany. And come to think about it, there are many similarities between Tuscany and Prince Edward County. Sans hills of course, unless you include McCauley Mountain…Salute!
The Ultimate Gamay Tasting Menu- Showcasing the Versatility of Gamay
the winery on the perfect evening for a gamay tasting
After scouring the internet for new and interesting pairings ideas to match our Trmpour’s Mill Gamay, I have picked a varied list of my favourite dishes to highlight and deconstruct why they work!
Roasted Beet Salad
Why It Works- A great winter option for gamay. Beets can be tricky to pair with, but the earthiness and the acidity of the gamay will work well together to balance the earthy sweet, vegetal quality of the beets, while still holding up to any vinegar that might be in the dish.
Mixed Bean Salad
Why It Works- meaty beans, acidic dressing- this is where gamay really thrives. The gamay will balance these qualities while not over powering the dish.
Antipasto
Why It Works- rich, sometimes spicy, always with olive oil, gamay’s acidic and medium body will work well to hold up to the flavours while at the same time cleanse the palate between bites. A nice quality in a wine when its paired with a tasting plate with lots of components.
Pancetta and Ricotta Ravioli
Why It Works- on one hand you have the cheese and salty meat, but on the other the tomato sauce. Both rich and acidic. Any wine that is paired with a dish like this must have the structure to hold up to those qualities. But these aren’t meat-filled or cheese ravioli, they have some complexity, so its nice to have a wine like the gamay that won’t over power
Pizza Margherita
Why it Works- Our favourite pizza wine. It works like a combination of all the above plates. It has the structure to hold up to rich or acidic components, but doesn’t overwhelm.
Summer BBQ
Why it Works- My favourite reason to have gamay with BBQ? The fact that the flavour works so well when chilled! It’s a great summer wine for this reason. But then its also great with the smokey, charred, spicy, fatty components of the dishes too.
Braised Pork belly with Lentils
Why It Works- Pork belly is a new found favourite around here. We prefer gamay to a white wine with this dish because of the earthy lentils. It totally changes the balance of the dish. But luckily the gamay is light enough not to overpower the subtle flavour of the pork belly.
Lavender Honey Panna Cotta
Why It Works- I found this pairing and was excited to try it. Gamay with dessert wasn’t obvious to me. But what’s perfect about this pairing is that this dish isn’t too sweet. With the lavender and honey it has more of a herbal quality than an obvious sweet one.
Adam’s Cellar Notes
2009 GAMAY NOIR PROFILE – March 12, 2011
In PEC words like Terroir, Pinot and Chard are ubiquitous. What is often overlooked is Gamay. Originally from Burgundy, Gamay Noir is an important grape in Prince Edward County. Arguably, Gamay Noir represents the terroir and vintage more than any other varietal. What’s neat is you can look at a glass of Gamay and know what the growing season was like. Darker in hot years, lighter in wet ones; Gamay hides nothing. At The Grange of Prince Edward our Gamay is multi-purposed. It contributes to the beautiful Rose, and as a stand alone varietal with only one degree of separation from Pinot Noir.
The 2009 Trumpours Mill Gamay Noir has a dark ruby/purple colour indicating a long sensible grow season. The aromas are dominated by chocolate covered cherries and spicy strawberry. The palate over-delivers with firm tannins on a solid fruit core ending with a medium, balanced finish. With the 2008 almost sold through, keep an out for the 2009.
A Month of Gamay- Week 2
All I want for Christmas: By Caroline
The vineyards have seen their first snow but I suspect it won’t last. It has been a number of years since I last said this but all I want for Christmas is the vines hilled up. We were four days from finishing when the rains came and washed away at least a week of work. Mike and Adam were back on the fields Friday as soon ass the frost had settled deeply enough into the soil to allow the tractors back on the fields…. Hilling in the frost can be extremely effective especially in years when we struggle with too much rain on the clay …. With the frost the earth actually shatters as the hills roll up and away from the big plow blades creating more even well distributed hills.. Brian was running all day Saturday and Monday but there are still 4 or 5 more days of work and the weather is warming up again!
In the cellar things are getting quiet after the flurry of activity for the last couple of months. The 2008 Pinot Noir came out of barrel last week to prepare for bottling and the 2009 went down. I guess the only left in the old dairy parlour from the 2008 vintage now is the cabernet franc. We are still very excited about the pinot noir harvest this year the wines are showing real promise but of course now the wait begins. Adam has promised to write some early notes from the 09 vintage over the weekend so I should post them sometime next week.
In the tasting room the 2007 Brut continues to be everyone’s favorite but that probably has a lot to do with the season. Bubbles and holidays just go together I guess. The wine was featured on Spotlight Toronto last week nice review.
I saw that the fresh cranberries are in the stores now and started thinking about making Gamay jelly with fresh cranberries for Christmas dinner this year. The 2008 Gamay has been out for a few weeks now the first of the wines to get the new label……. I think its turning out to be another amazing little wine but then I have a soft spot for Gamay.
I leave for Regina tomorrow night for a couple of days of meetings for FCC. I am hoping it will not be 30 below but I suspect it will…… I am bringing my heavy coat and hat ……
